MARTIN SAMUEL: The consequences of going through male puberty mean it’s just not fair that transgender swimmer Leah Thomas is allowed to compete in women’s events.
- Transgender swimmer Leah Thomas shouldn’t compete with women
- The consequences of male puberty mean it’s just an unfair contest.
- It’s strange that Thomas can’t put aside his ambitions and think about what’s best for the sport.
Do you have a minute? See how transgender swimmer Leah Thomas won the women’s 500 yard freestyle at the NCAA Championships in Atlanta, in which she beat an Olympic silver medalist for third place.
Look at the smooth, steady, steady speed of her punches compared to the furious, skin-skinning ones who try to keep up with her. See that? Approximately four to six years of male puberty.
After that, Thomas didn’t perform as well. She finished fifth in the 200-yard freestyle, nearly two seconds behind her personal best. In the 100-yard dash, her worst run, she finished eighth and was almost a second slower than in qualifying.
It’s not fair that transgender swimmer Leah Thomas is allowed to compete in a women’s sport.
The last two events were even more surprising than the first. Thomas often breaks records and dominates the podium in women’s college competitions. No one expected that she would later disappoint. Of course, no explanation.
Thus, Thomas became the dominant player in women’s swimming this year. You haven’t heard of the Olympic medalist Erica Sullivan she defeated, but you know of the fairness debate as transgender male-born athletes begin to dominate women’s sports.
Thomas could potentially qualify for the US Olympic team in Paris in 2024.
USA Swimming has already confirmed that they won’t mind, and even if they did, who would voice it?
Most sports organizations and many observers fear being seen as transphobic when their strongest motivation should be to level the playing field. Thomas, a mediocre college swimmer when he was a man, was devastating in women’s events.
The aftermath of male puberty means it’s just an unfair competition when Thomas is involved.
It’s strange that Thomas can’t put aside his ambitions and think about what’s best for the sport.
In November 2021, she led the NCAA season in the 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle, set Pennsylvania state records in those events, and won three individual races. In the 500m freestyle, she won by 13 seconds.
It’s not fair, it’s wrong. Muscle memory achieved during male puberty remains extremely important. Last year, Jake Minshall, who won the Under-17 800m at the FA Athletics Championships, would have won gold in the women’s 800m at the Tokyo Olympics 2.51 seconds faster than Ating Mu of USA. To give some frame of reference, 0.67 seconds separate gold and silver in this race. This is testosterone in action.
The benefits of male puberty cannot be taken off like outerwear. There’s a reason men’s competitions are considered open and women’s sports have historically had testosterone limits. This is what separates us. Remove the testosterone from our make-up and men and women can compete in sports without limits, just like they do in elementary school.
Reka György, who missed out on the NCAA championship by one spot, wrote an open letter criticizing the decision to allow Thomas (pictured).
What seems so odd is that someone like Thomas, who identifies so strongly with women, can’t put his ambition aside when considering what’s best for a women’s sport.
River György, who missed out on the NCAA championship by one place, wrote an open letter. “I feel disappointed,” she protested. “I can’t help being angry or sad. Every competition that a transgender athlete competed in took one place away from biological women.”
Regardless of whether Thomas touches the first or the eighth, György’s point remains valid. We defend women’s sport or consider its unique position inappropriate.
“I’m a woman, and so is everyone on the team,” Thomas says, but we know that’s not entirely true. Yes, Thomas has the right to be who she wants to be, but women have rights too.